ÖVP and SPÖ Negotiate Government Agreement

"Discussions are underway about whether cooperation and the conclusion of a government agreement are possible or not," said the ÖVP on Monday. The SPÖ also confirmed the ongoing talks.

ÖVP-SPÖ Talks on Government Agreement Underway

On the ÖVP side, in addition to party leader Christian Stocker, club chairman August Wöginger and secretary-general Alexander Pröll are involved in the talks, according to media reports. Also mentioned on the ÖVP side was the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Harald Mahrer. Contrary to previous media reports, Upper Austria's governor Thomas Stelzer is not involved in the current talks, according to his office. However, Stelzer was present last Thursday along with Stocker, Wöginger, and Pröll at a meeting with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. The red counterparts, alongside SPÖ chairman Andreas Babler, are the third president of the National Council Doris Bures, club vice-president Philip Kucher, women's leader Eva-Maria Holzleitner, and FSG chairman Josef Muchitsch. After the failure of coalition negotiations between the FPÖ and ÖVP last Wednesday, the SPÖ had already stated on Friday that "intensive talks" were being conducted.

Media Reports on Tight Schedule for ÖVP and SPÖ Talks

When the talks are expected to lead to a result was not officially disclosed on Monday. According to "Österreich" and "heute," the new government should be in place by the two National Council sessions next Wednesday and Thursday (February 26/27) and be sworn in the following week. On Monday, there was silence on the APA's request regarding this and also on substantive details. According to the reports, they want to agree on a double budget, among other things. The ÖVP could relent on the bank levy, and the SPÖ, in return, could forgo wealth taxes, according to "Österreich."

Vienna's Mayor Ludwig for "Quick Conclusion"

The Vienna SPÖ state party chairman and mayor Michael Ludwig spoke out on Monday for the quickest possible conclusion of the negotiations. "It is important that the two parties come together." He, like many people in Austria, is glad that there is no Chancellor Herbert Kickl (FPÖ). If one combines relief with political responsibility, it is necessary for the SPÖ and ÖVP to now come to joint solutions.

It is also desirable to include another party, as the mandate surplus is tight. A time horizon should be aimed for "that is closer and not further away." The population expects solutions soon. "Therefore, I see strong pressure on the two parties." However, whether a government declaration can be made next week is open. That is a very ambitious goal, as the parties' committees would still need to meet beforehand, Ludwig pointed out.

"There Have Been No Secret Negotiations"

The Mayor of Vienna made it clear that he is against new elections, as these would only lead to further delays. He pointed out that he has always extended a hand to the ÖVP to signal, "they are not at the mercy of a Chancellor Kickl." However, no talks have been held: "There have been no secret negotiations."

At the same time, Ludwig backed SPÖ leader Andreas Babler - after he had to face criticism from the ÖVP. Babler is the elected party chairman, Ludwig noted. "We also do not interfere in the personnel setup of other parties." He is convinced that the negotiation team is competent and will strive to reach a solution with the ÖVP.

Regarding the bank levy, he assured: "We in social democracy are not fundamentally in favor of new levies." It is about getting a budget gap under control, which they are not responsible for. Here, it should not be employees or pensioners who are burdened, but those who have made quite high profits in recent years. There are indeed proposals from the banking sector itself, Ludwig said.

Signs Point to Agreement Between ÖVP and SPÖ

Over the weekend, there were corresponding signals from state representatives: Vorarlberg's VP Governor Markus Wallner signaled a willingness to compromise on the bank levy: He does not see "why we could not agree here," he was quoted by the "Vorarlberger Nachrichten." Carinthia's state leader Peter Kaiser (SPÖ) was mild regarding the budget path reported to Brussels on Ö1 radio: "I think that the budget path reported by FPÖ and ÖVP for the first year to Brussels can be adopted in essential parts," he said.

(APA/Red)

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